Picker stick check



Sept. 27, 1960 A. A. LAFERTE PICKER STICK CHECK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 8, 1959 INVENTOR. ALBERT A. LAFERTE A TTORNE Y 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y Sept. 27, 1960 A. A. LAFERTE PICKER STICK cmzcx Filed Sept. 8, 1959 miiilllli Unite PICKER STICK CHECK Filed Sept. 8, 1959', Ser. No. 838,517

Claims. e (Cl. 139161) This invention relates to looms for weaving and, more particularly, to the picker stick checking mechanism for fly shuttle looms.

his the general object of the invention to provide a checking mechanism effective to eliminate any rebound of the picker stick and shuttle so that the latter is boxed inthe identical position on successive picks.

It is a more specific object to provide a checking device wherein frictional forces are heavily relied upon in providing for the final positioning of the stick and shuttle.

According to the conventional practice in Weaving with fly shuttle looms, the picker stick is checked in its picking and return movements by a check strap of leather or fabric or of a combination of these with other materials, the same being provided for frictioning within a bracket of known type. The stick is returned part .way to an extreme outer position by a spring means and then, when the shuttle reenters the box, it engages the picker and moves it and the picker stick to an extreme outer position. Theoretically, the absorption of energy by the various frictional influences is intended to be such as to stop the parts with the stick in contact with an abutment which closes off a stick guiding slot in the lay end. There may be a thickness of leather to pad this abutment to an extent, but to all intents and purposes, it amounts to a rigid stop which will cause the stick to rebound if it reaches the abutment with any appreciable amount of residual energy in the shuttle.

In United States Patent No. 2,796,087, the rigid stop or abutment against which the stick strikes has been eliminated and the check strap is supplemented by a second strap of flexible material which encompasses the outer end portion of the" check strap and has both of its ends fixed or anchored. In that type of structure the second or outer stop strap limits the outward movement of the stick and shuttle and reduces rebound of the picker stick and shuttle by eliminating the rigid stop of the prior art.

The present invention is an improvement of the picker stick check disclosed in the above-cited patent whereby the residual energy of the shuttle as it strikes the picker stick is dissipated more gradually and in increasing amounts over a larger span in the slotted lay end by providing a stop strap fixed at both ends but connected therebetween to a spring-biased member so that in effect the stop strap is elongated at a decreasing rate until the picker stick is stopped. Due to the fact that elongation of the effective length of the stop strap takes place from one side thereof only, additional frictional braking action results between the inner check strap and the outer stop strap where the two are in contact, thereby further absorbing energy from the shuttle and picker stick so that a minimum of energy remains therein as the outermost point of travel is reached. A large portion of the energy is absorbed by passing the stop strap around a curved friction member associated with the spring-biased arm.

Additional objects and advantages will be apparent by atent O" reference to the accompanying descriptiontand drawings,-

Fig. 4 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the.

device of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the device of Fig. 3. V

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the arm to which the stop belt is fastened.

Fig. 7 is a side view of that arm.

Fig. 8 is a plan view ofthe curved friction plate around which the stop belt passes.

Fig. 9 is a side w'ew of that plate. 7, Now referring to Figs. 1 and 2 a lay beam is generally indicated by the arrow 10 and has a lay end 11 at its left side provided with a slot 12 therein. A picker stick 13 is mounted in known manner to protrude through said slot to be picked by. the usual cam and picking linkage (not shown). V

A pair of brackets 14 and 15 are mounted opposite each other on the lay end and are provided with fingers 23 and 24 which are relatively fixed and fingers 25 which are adjustable and between Which a check strap 26 of the endless type passes so that adjustment may be made.

to vary the frictional efiect upon the check strap in aand has both its ends anchoredby bolts 28 and 29 to extensions of the brackets 14and 15, respectively Intermediate thatend. of the stop strap anchored by the bolt 2S and that straps point: of contact with the check strap,. the former is attached to a spring-biased arm and reversed in direction by being partially looped around a device 30 associated therewith, to be described in detail, and mounted on an extension 31 of the bracket 14.

The straps may be of leather, fabric, compositions of rubberized fabric and the like. If desired multiple straps may be used to check, but the stop strap is preferablya single unit, although it may be laminated or otherwise of multiple thickness. Preferably the two are to be of the same or similar material, but that is not essential. The checking means, however, should preferably beone in which the entire strap is first moved in one direction and then the other with each side portion sliding in and being frictioned within its retarding fingers or similar means.

The stop strap is attached by means of a bolt 32 to a vertically extending spring-biased arm 33 which forms an extension of a circular collar 34 having a bearing 35 fixed in the opening therein (see Figs. 6 and 7). A stud 36 is inserted through the bearing and has a spring supporting member 37 fixed to its upper end by means of a pin 38. A coil spring 39 encompasses the collar 34 and member 37 and has its upper end bent inwardly to be received within a slot 40 in the upper part of member 37. The lower end of the spring is bent outwardly to bear against the side of the arm 33 as seen in Fig. 5 at 41.

A bolt 42 passes through a slot 43 in the extension 31 and then through an opening 44 in the top flat portion 45 of a curved friction plate 46 which partially encompasses the spring in spaced relation thereto. The bolt 42 is threaded into the top of the member 37 and clamps that member and the plate 46 against the underside of the extension 31. Thus, it will be apparent that the upper end of the spring is in a fixed position while the lower l end thereof may be urged in a clockwise direction as viewed from Figs. 1 and 3 as affected by the arm 33 and the stop belt 27 attached thereto. The arm 33 is thus oscillatable about the stud 36 The curved friction plate is angularly located in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 to provide a bearing surface for the stop belt as it is reversed in direction.

In operation, the stick is picked and the strap 26 acts to check its inward motion. On the return motion the checkstrap stops the stick in a position short of its extreme or end position, the stop strap not yet having become eflfective.

As the returning shuttle comes into its shuttle box, it is partially checked thereby but still strikesthe picker (not shown) with considerable force to push check strap into engagement with the stop strap. The latter, being fixed to the spring-biased arm 33, is yieldable. to some extent so that a more gradualbraking action is set up. with the residual energy of the, picker stick being distributed over a greater length of travel thereof to result in practically complete elimination of any rebound action. Since that portion of the stop strap which contacts the check strap is displaceable during checking, frictional action is set up between the two further to absorb energy and improve checking.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a loom having a lay and a slotted. end therein, a picker stick adapted to be guided within the slot in said lay end, a picker stick check means which comprises a check strap and check strap friction brackets mounted on at least one side of said lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, and flexible strap means encompassing the outer end portion of said check strap, said flexible strap means being connected adjacent one end thereof to a spring biased member for limiting movement of said check strap under influence of said picker stick.

2. In a loom having a lay and a slotted end therein, a picker stick adapted to be guided within the slot in said lay end, a picker stick check means which comprises a check strap and check strapfriction brackets mounted on each side of the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, and flexible strap means fixed at each end and encompassing the outer end portion of said check strap, said flexible strap means being connected intermediate its ends to a springbiased member for limiting movement of said check strap under the influence of said picker stick.

3. In a loom having a lay and a slotted end therein, a picker stick adapted to be guided within the slot in said lay end, a picker stick check means which comprises a check strap and check strap friction brackets mounted on each side of the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, flexible strap means fixed at both ends and encompassing the outer end portion of said check strap, and means for effecting a frictional braking action between said straps which comprises a fixed curved contact member around which one end of said flexible strap is adapted to pass, and a spring-biased oscillatable arm adjacent thereto and to which said flexible strap means is attached.

4. In a loom having a lay and a slotted end therein, a picker stick adapted to be guided within the slot in said lay end, a picker stick check means which comprises an endless type check strap and check strap friction brackets having a plurality of depending fingers mounted on the lay end for controlling the shuttle picking and return movements of the stick, flexible strap means fixed at both ends and encompassing the outer end portion only of said check strap, and means for effecting a frictional braking action between said straps which comprises a fixed curved friction member around which one end of said flexible strap means is adapted to pass, and a spring-biased oscillatable arm adjacent thereto and to which said flexible strap means is attached.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein that portion of said flexible strap means encompassing said check strap is urged inwardly of said lay end by said arm.

No references cited. 

